An EPOS system is a mixture of software and hardware devices that lets you process sales more efficiently and streamline your business.
That’s it: the 140-character definition.
But,
Did you know the first generation of cash registers was invented before Sir William Armstrong’s mansion became the first to use electric light in 1881?
There are far too many more to the history of EPOS systems to fit within 140-characters. Read on to know where it came from and how it got where it is now.
When and Why POS Tills Started?
EPOS makes sale transactions, operations, and inventory management as convenient as convenient gets. It also allows for a comprehensive analysis of the business. As a result, having full control over all aspects of the business has always been vital to business owners and managers.
Therefore, a system to make all that possible has always been sought after. This is what happened with EPOS systems. Surprisingly, the use of POS tills or cash registers goes back to the late 1800s. To be more specific, some suggested 1879 for the development of the idea, and some others believe it wasn’t until 1884 that the idea turned actually to action.
Even though those machines helped businesses with different works, they were mostly created to stop dishonest staff from skimming off. To help the managers know when a transaction was made, those hefty mechanical tills rang a bell the second the cash drawer popped open.
How Did EPOS Systems Grow?
About less than a century later, those Point of Sales machines faced their evolution to electronic: networked Point of Sales systems. While they didn’t have as many features as the future generations would, this new system was a game-changer at the time as it offered way much more managing capabilities. These networked POS tills displayed the whole menu and calculated the total including sales tax. In the mid-70s, the essential component of any till i.e. barcode scanners was initially used in the market on the same networked tills. It literally set the tone for the next tills to come. It then grew to take its place in the market. McDonald’s was one of the first, if not the first to make use of this product.
During the next decade, i.e. the 1980s, the very first graphical touchscreen till – ViewTouch – emerged. While it didn’t dominate the market, they still featured an interface on a colour touchscreen and users could change the menu without having to go technical about it.
Modern EPOS Born, the Big Breakthrough
In the 90s, POS users, in particular, retailers weren’t satisfied with the current POS tills as they lacked decent personalisation and flexibility. Therefore, the demand for a product that integrated almost everything increased. On the other hand, improvements in technology skyrocketed during the decade. These two worked in hand to make a big breakthrough in the POS industry. Then, in 1992, there appeared a software product that could run on a Microsoft platform. It connected the back and front office together to help the business owner have complete control in one place with a great deal of flexibility.
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